Individual software images each include a large amount of data. In general, software images are increasing in size and take up increasingly large amounts of persistent and/or non-persistent storage space for a given computer. Historically, this size has grown at an exponential rate. For example, in certain cases there is a need to capture a copy of an installed operating system, applications, utilities, or other data (sometimes referred to as “capturing a volume”). One purpose of the captured copy is for creating an image including data that can be reused at a later date, such as by being redistributed to other computers. Frequently, there is a tremendous amount of space taken up by the captured copy and its data. Usually, multiple images are copied onto a single computer-readable media. These multiple images on the same media differ typically in only certain respects, e.g., based on the language of the installed OS, which applications (and versions of those applications) are included on that image, etc. Some multiple images are merely different SKUs or editions of the same program. The result is that the majority of the data in those multiple images is common, which creates a large amount of redundant space across images on the same media that could be used for other information.
These problems can be amplified in the context of an image server store which stores multiple copies of a program for copying onto a destination device. The multiple copies generally include large amounts of the same data so that separate, multiple copies tend to require large amounts of storage space on the server. Another disadvantage is that the data can not be easily replicated over low bandwidth connections.
For these reasons, an image server store system and method for reducing the amount of redundant space is desired to address one or more of these and other disadvantages.